


By Her Side

by Miss_Prince



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-01
Updated: 2012-05-01
Packaged: 2017-11-04 15:44:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/395485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Prince/pseuds/Miss_Prince
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucia has always known where she belongs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	By Her Side

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Moontyger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moontyger/gifts).



The Tower of Guidance looms above them, the shining beacon to which their band has been drawn. Lucia stands to the side with the other soldiers, mercenaries, heads of state and the rest of the colorful collection of fighters that has been gathered together from all sides of this awful war, and together they watch General Ike pace back and forth, deciding the tiny roster that will assault the tower itself while the rest keep the Goddess's forces at bay.

Lucia's eyes flick to Elincia, standing behind the General amid the group that will form the vanguard. It would be wrong to say that she looks older, for though her face is weary from their long battles, it is still fair and unmarked by the lines that come from age and hardship. But her eyes have lost some of their round innocence, and where once she would have worried her lip and lowered her eyes to the ground, her face is stoic and her gaze steady and strong. She stands straight and tall, one hand resting on Amiti's pommel where the blade hangs at her side, the other holding the reins of her faithful Pegasus.

Lucia finds that Ike has turned to look at her, and she meets his gaze evenly. She cannot name herself among the strongest here, for her imprisonment and recovery have kept her off the battlefield far longer than she would have liked, and she has lost some of the swiftness and strength of sword she usually possesses. Every fiber of her being calls her to her Queen's side, but Elincia has proven herself a fine swordswoman and a valuable healer, and Lucia knows she does not need her protection, no matter how much she longs to give it. She will not be a burden.

Elincia has noticed General Ike's scrutiny of Lucia, however, and she steps forward. "Lord Ike," she says, "might I make a request?"

The General knows, of course, what that request will be. His lips thin into a line as he concentrates, eyes boring into Lucia. "This will be a difficult fight," he cautions. His words are aimed squarely at Lucia herself, for Ike is a man who speaks directly and plainly to his soldier, which is one of the reasons why so many follow him so readily. "If your skills are rusty, you may find yourself in grave danger."

Elincia speaks again. "Whatever choice Lucia makes, I will gladly respect it," she says. "She has nearly lost her life once already, and I do not wish to endanger it again. But…" She pauses. Lucia finally tears herself from General Ike's contemplative gaze and turns to meet Elincia's, steady on the surface but roiling beneath. "I would wish for her to be at my side." Lucia can see her lips form a word, silently, perhaps unconsciously: "Always."

"Lucia?" the General asks.

She does not hesitate for a moment. "My place is at Her Majesty's side."

  


* * *

  


There are several close calls as Lucia reaccustoms herself to battle, but she remains close to Elincia and makes it through alive. And the feel of her blade thrust through the side of an archer that otherwise might have caught Elincia unawares is enough to ease the nagging worry that she has been only a hindrance.

The tower is small, and each floor is an open space where the only cover to be found is magical in nature, so there is little privacy. Nevertheless, Elincia finds a deep alcove off the stairway and pulls Lucia in after her, and with the Goddess nearly in reach above them, Elincia kisses her.

Her lips are sweeter than Lucia ever dared imagine, and Lucia allows every defense to fall, opens herself to Elincia as fully as she can. The kiss is not quite desperate, but it is fierce and full of desire long left unspoken, fears unnamed, and the need to acknowledge, before they go on to fight the impossible, that the connection between them is not merely shadow, a figment of imagination never acted upon, but real and solid and warm.

They stay as long as they dare in the alcove, Lucia's hands gripping Elincia's shoulders, Elincia's arms tight around her waist, drinking in all the comfort they can from one another. But all too soon there is no more time, and they rejoin their companions on the journey to their destiny.

  


* * *

  


When the Goddess falls, Lucia is by her Queen's side, as she is meant to be. Elincia reaches for her hand and holds it tight.

  


* * *

  


Afterward, though, when the battle is finished and the continent restored, and when the fear of imminent death has subsided -- that is when the doubt comes. The march back to Crimea is long and there is no chance to talk, not with a troop of soldiers around them and all the plans that must be made for their homeland's restoration upon their return.

And the more time Lucia has alone with her thoughts, the more she doubts.

She does not doubt Elincia's affection. She does not doubt that the kiss they shared was sincere, that the need they felt to be close to one another was no falsehood. She does not doubt Elincia's love, and she certainly does not doubt her own, for she has held it within her too long to even begin to pretend.

But Elincia is Crimea's Queen. Her bloodline has been sheared down to almost nothing. She has no heir, and now more than ever the country needs the throne to be secure and strong. Lucia can offer nothing but guilt and secrets, and it was foolish to forget that. She has spent a lifetime with this buried deep inside her; she can bury it again.

A dark cloud hangs above her as the walls of the capital gleam in the distance.

  


* * *

  


It is inevitable that Lucia finds herself alone with Elincia eventually, but a little cruel that it happens in the Queen's bedchambers. She has made her decision: she will retreat, resume her former place at the Queen's side, and lock the memory of that one beautiful moment away to treasure, but never to repeat.

Elincia approaches her with a fond smile on her face, and Lucia's resolve weakens that much more.

Elincia wraps her arms around her, and Lucia allows it, lightly placing her hands on the Queen's waist as Elincia rests her head on Lucia's shoulder. It is only when Elincia moves in for a kiss that Lucia breaks away.

"What's wrong?"

Lucia doesn't meet her eyes. "This was a mistake," she says quietly.

There is a pause as Elincia chooses her words carefully. "I have been mistaken many times," she says, "but this is not one of them."

"How can this be anything but tragedy?" Lucia turns to Elincia, whose face is neutral, unreadable. "If we were anywhere else; if you were anyone else…" She trails off, swallows. "You know what it means to be Queen Crimea. We both know the sacrifice it takes."

Elincia doesn't respond for a long moment. Then she steps forward once more, bringing a hand up to Lucia's cheek. "Don't you think I have thought all these things?" she murmurs. "I've wondered so many times, every time I looked at you and felt my heart swell." Lucia feels a flush rise to her face. Elincia lets her fingers slip a little, just barely caressing. "Not so long ago, I wouldn't have had the strength," she continues, a wistful smile on her face. "But I've realized this: sometimes the things that seem impossible are not. It would be foolish to sacrifice this without a fight."

Lucia wavers. A little burst of hope blossoms, and she does her best to quash it. "You still have no heir."

Elincia's smile turns mischievous. "Perhaps it's time we decided succession the laguz way."

Lucia balks. "The nobles would never hear of that. They'd cut you down first."

Elincia laughs. "I know," she says. "But we can think of something, I'm sure. We have time."

Lucia's resistance, the stone that she spent so long fortifying, is melting like ice in the sun. There are more objections to make, more reasons they should not do this… but she doesn't want to make them. She wants something else entirely. "I…"

Elincia looks at her expectantly -- hopefully. The words slip out so easily.

"Would you kiss me?"

The brilliant smile on Elincia's face is worth every challenge they might face, and Lucia finds herself smiling back against Elincia's lips as she's pulled into a slow, thorough kiss.

When Elincia pulls back, her eyes are dark and heavy-lidded. She takes Lucia's hand in hers. "Come to bed," she murmurs, and leads the way.

Without hesitation, Lucia follows. Her place is, as ever, at her Queen's side.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this is alright. I started writing something else for these two just about as soon as the prompts went out, but it ballooned to 9000 words and I was still nowhere near done, so I went ahead and tried something else.


End file.
